Harvard men’s soccer season cancelled after new findings about sexual ‘scouting reports’

Harvard Athletics Director Robert L. Scalise has cancelled the remainder of the school’s men’s soccer season. According to The Harvard Crimson, Scalise made this decision after learning that the sexually explicit “scouting reports,” first made in 2012, have continued to be a widespread practice up to this year.

These “reports,” which rated women’s soccer freshmen recruits by physical appearance, went under review last week by the OGC, Harvard’s team of lawyers, after allegations that members of the team were not forthcoming about their involvement.

Harvard University President Drew G. Faust wrote in a statement that “The decision to cancel a season is serious and consequential, and reflects Harvard’s view that both the team’s behavior and the failure to be forthcoming when initially questioned are completely unacceptable, have no place at Harvard, and run counter to the mutual respect that is a core value of our community.”

The team currently sits atop the Ivy League standings, and the team was supposed to challenge Penn next weekend in the final day of conference play.

"The team will forfeit its remaining games and will decline any opportunity to achieve an Ivy League championship or to participate in the NCAA Tournament this year,” Scalise wrote in an email to student-athletes, the Crimson reported.

Regardless, Harvard is no longer able to participate in the NCAA Tournament or compete for the Ivy League championship.